Reunion Day 4 - Fun At The House - Head Home

The last day for us as we have to leave early in order to get Scott back to Dallas in time for work on Monday - so sad but it was the only way he could come and I sure didn't want him to miss the reunion.  I have a tough time waking up today and so when I leave my room, the kitchen is alive with activity. Jen is cooking eggs and Rhiana is busily making scones for everyone while the boys have finally found technology and are waiting patiently.  Oh yum.

The line never seems to end and there are cries for more that last well after the last batch is made.  This is a huge hit.

When everyone is fed, dressed, and the mess cleaned up, it is time to play and figure out what to do today.

Malea is spotted in the sunlight near the sliding glass door.  This has been her favorite spot the entire weekend.  She stared at her bottle for awhile and then dove at it like it was going to get away making me giggle so hard.

What a little charmer.

Last night, Mister and I had helped Elena and Zyra put this puzzle together and today they are so excited that it is still here.  They pull out a piece and then put it right back.  While we were working with them last night -- I was fascinated with how hard they worked and both wanted to get their sections finished even though moms were waiting patiently to put them to bed.  They were not stopping until it was perfect.

About half of the family has gone off to the shooting range, so Mister and I take this opportunity to have a little craft time with those still here.  We brought several items with us for just such a time and as I get the finger paints and paper, Grandpa comes to the rescue with a bunch of his t-shirts to cover up nice clothes.  Yay for him.  We set up at the dining room table and Elena gets confused when she realizes that we are not painting fingers, but finger painting.  As soon as she understands, she is ready to go and within moments both the little girls are literally painting with their fingers.  I cannot stop laughing at them.

Hyrum gets into it though and soon his hand is brightly colored.  I show him how to coat the paper and then draw designs in the paint with his fingers and as he figures it out, his designs become more and more intricate.  Excellent.  Oh, and the smiles make it all worthwhile.  Apparently he is having fun.

Once we clean up from craft time, Grandpa and I take Hyrum and Elena out to fly her kite.  She does such a great job and shares beautifully with her cousin.  When kite flying is no longer interesting, we put everything away and Mister takes me for a ride on the 4-wheelers.  We go back on the BLM land, only to discover that we are not supposed to have motorized vehicles back there -- oops.  We decide to go the opposite direction and climb higher up the mountain.  It is beautiful up there and we can see the Buffalo Bill Reservoir almost in its entirety.  Beautiful.

Shortly after we arrive back at the house, the shooting group returns allowing Scott and Cass to take the kids out on a geocache adventure culminating in a treasure for each.  What a great location for this activity.

Dollar coins or bills for all.  Yay!

The 4-wheelers are then put to use and the line never stops for those wanting rides.

Jen and Cass are happy to help out and make several trips around the property and down the road much to the delight of small ones.  The older kids are able to do some of the driving themselves and naturally that earns big smiles.


I spot Bekah and Jake with a slingshot and watch quietly from behind a tree until I can't take it any longer and the laughs burst out of me.  Each time she shoots, it goes straight into the ground.  Finally, I walk over and offer to show her how it is done.  The look she gives me is, "yeah right Gam", but when the first shot takes off out into the brush, she changes her look.  Score one for the old lady.

We are packed and ready to go when Cassie comes down with the bug that has struck others.  Ugh.  As we wait for her to see if she can make the drive tonight, Mister catches Bekah working on Zyra's hair.  She sits so patiently and when it is finished, she looks so cool.

Everyone else then departs for the night at the rodeo.  Mister and I take some time and try to do some of the cleaning so that the load will be lighter for everyone else tomorrow.  Upstairs is full of people starting to feel sick and at this point I am praying that we don't get it as well since we have 20 straight hours of driving ahead of us.

As darkness falls, I take one last look at the mountains behind us.  It will be awhile before I am in this region again.  It looks like another storm is brewing tonight and I hope that they don't get rained out at the rodeo.  Cass is willing to go, so we climb into the car and hit the road praying that she can sleep but knowing she will be miserable.  Exactly 20 hours later with only stops for gas, Mister delivers us back to Dallas.  I only spelled him once for about 2 hours.  He is a machine.  It is time to relax and try to sleep.  This trip provided so many great memories and precious moments with my children and grandchildren.  I will be forever thankful for that.